Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born.

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:3, 4

I find these words fresh and comforting. It puts things into perspective.  God reminds us that he carried us from the day of our birth. Human parents played their part, of course, an important part.  But they were able to do so because God was providing for them as they provided for their young. Without the constant care of parents, we would surely have died. In our weakest moment, God was carrying us.

The Word notes the two weakest times in our lives, when we had few resources of our own and depended largely on the help of others.  At birth. After reminding us of how he cared for us when we were newly born, small and helpless, he goes immediately to the second weakest moment in our lives, old age.  I am now 87 years old and I am beginning to realize that as I age I will certainly require more and more help from others.  When we are in full strength, in the flow of active, productive life, it seems as though we can do well on our own, thank you.  We have no need of help, really.  But in spiritual terms, that is an illusion.

The secret is to live all of life, from birth to death, sustained by our wonderful, faithful Lord.  It might seem as though we need God less when we are in our full strength, but in reality, that is probably when practicing our faith is most demanding. We need to remind ourselves that no matter what our level of strength, we always, always, need to be carried, to be upheld, not just as a new-born or aged person..

Isaiah is referring to Israel as a child and as an old person.  I believe that when we are weak we experience God’s strength most clearly.

For us who follow the Lamb, we never are so strong that we do not need the Lord.  We need to discover how to live in weakness, all the time, so that the power of God can be manifested in our lives.